The two High Sheriffs were joined in court by The Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Lady Emma Barnard, and The Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex, Mr Andrew Blackman CStJ, Her Honour Judge Christine Laing KC DL, the Resident Judge together with other judges, senior police and emergency service representatives, county dignitaries and family and friends.
The Presiding Judge was The Rt Hon Lord Justice Dingemans, a Lord Justice of the Court of Appeal, in front of whom each new High Sheriff delivered their respective Declaration Oaths. The making of them was formally witnessed by Mrs Victoria Atkins JP, a magistrate in West Sussex, and Mrs Francesca Nowne JP, the Chairman of the Sussex Eastern Magistrates Bench.
The voluntary appointment of High Sheriff is for one year. Dr Timothy Fooks succeeds Mrs Philippa Gogarty in West Sussex and Mrs Annie Brown takes over from Mrs Lucinda Fraser in East Sussex.
Dr Fooks has been a GP in West Sussex for over thirty years and during some of this time he also led the commissioning of children and young people’s NHS services for West Sussex and the South East region. In 2020, he was appointed High Sheriff of West Sussex, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and, as his second year begins, he becomes the first person in Sussex to carry out the role twice since 1551.
Dr Fooks is the Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Chichester and a trustee and patron of several West Sussex charities. During the pandemic, Dr Fooks’ dual role as both High Sheriff and local doctor gave him a privileged, but restricted, insight into the remarkable work of the county’s criminal justice system, the emergency services and voluntary sector which he described in his book “A Year Like No Other”.
During his second term, therefore, Dr Fooks wishes to understand how the legacy of Covid continues to affect the people of West Sussex and, to this end, he plans to travel across the county to meet in person many of the those who continue to protect, support and serve its communities. He also intends to highlight and celebrate those initiatives which promote mental health and resilience particularly where there is a link with criminal behaviour.
Mrs Brown is a third generation family farmer on the South Downs and a passionate advocate of protecting our working landscape, ensuring that we have resilient rural businesses that can produce food while making space for nature. She has chaired the Sussex branch of the CLA and been a Secretary of State appointed Board member of the South Downs National Park Authority, during which she tirelessly spoke out for the role of farming in the managed landscape that we all know and love as the Downs. She recently completed countryside educational visits training (CEVAS), and is keen to build on the HLF funded Changing Chalk initiative, finding ways for youngsters from economically deprived and other underrepresented audiences in our urban communities to get out onto the Downs.
During her term she hopes to bridge the massive disconnect between town and Downs, exploring educational and outreach opportunities that can help all ages to get out into the countryside and in some small way tackle the wide ranging mental health and well being issues across the county. She will aim to join the dots on a whole range of voluntary initiatives across East Sussex, and help to celebrate, and shine a light, on the successes.
Each High Sheriff appoints an Under Sheriff for the year to assist them in their duties. This year’s Under Sheriff for both counties is again to be Mr Kevin Smyth who is a practising civil/commercial mediator and a retired solicitor. Within Sussex, previously he has been a Trustee of the Martlets Hospice in Hove and a former Chairman of Governors of Worth School. He too delivered his Oath of Declaration in front of the Presiding Judge.
Other appointments made during the Ceremony were those of High Sheriff’s Chaplains for the coming Shrieval Year. The Reverend Steve Burston, Vicar of St John’s Church and Priest-in-charge of St Richard’s and St Peter’s West Green in Crawley, will serve as the West Sussex High Sheriff’s Chaplain and Reverend Prebendary Stephen Stuckes, the Rector of the Cuckmere Churches, will serve as Chaplain for the new East Sussex High Sheriff.